No Limit - Beyond the first strategy!

This post has been edited 4 time(s), it was last edited by LemOn36: 24.12.2015 12:47.

Hello Pokerstrategist!
Welcome to the feedback thread of

NO LIMIT - BEYOND THE FIRST TRATEGY!
Coach: LemOn36
When: Mondays 20:00-21:30 CEST (GMT+2)
Status: Basic
Who is this course for: This course is ideal for beginners who have already mastered the first basic strategy in The No Limit Starter Course and are looking to advance their game beyond that

What can you expect?
In the next 5 weeks we will build upon the first no limit strategy and show how a beginner can improve his game and move towards an advanced beginner strategy and beyond.

This post has been edited 3 time(s), it was last edited by LemOn36: 16.11.2015 11:24.

Before today's lesson I definitely recommend reviewing Part5 of the previous course, where you can see the evolution of a poker player. Lessons 1-3 of this course will focus on Stage 3: Hand reading and exploits on 6max regular tables.
You can see the lesson here:

Lesson 5: Five minutes to learn, a lifetime to master

In this lesson beginners will learn what a sample career path of a professional poker player looks like.

What's special about this stage?
Beginners who follow this course don't need a lot of additional information on this stage as they are usually already amidst it, or have already surpassed it.
What's special about this stage is the "aha experience" when realising that it's possible to play online poker profitably by playing fewer hands and sticking to some basic guidelines.

First of all, a beginner is provided with static ranges and sample charts for pre and post-flop play.
Simple guidelines like that ensure that fewer mistakes occur, resulting in a higher probability for success.

A new driver doesn't start his first driving lesson in a Formula 1 racing car, but rather in a standard car in order to make the first steps as easy as possible.

What's the difference to the preceding stage?
In this case, the preceding stage was playing as a recreational player.
A recreational player is an online poker player that doesn't play with any strategy, thereby making more mistakes than a beginner in stage 1.
Therefore, we will be able to win money from these players on lower limits.

Why is this stage important?
Without stage 1 you won't have a solid starting point in a sport you won't automatically get better in just because you're doing it all the time.

A recreational football player who's playing the game every weekend with his friends without any particular training will be better than someone who only plays twice a year.
A poker player who plays poker every week without dealing with any sort of strategy won't learn a lot, staying on the same level as someone who plays less frequently while also not studying any sort of strategy.

The fact that you won't get better at poker by simply playing shows how complex this game really is and why beginners with a strategic approach have the opportunity to win money.

What's special about this stage?
This is a stage that the beginner interested in this course has tackled already!
Topics like odds & outs, implied odds, position, playability etc. are no alien concepts for advanced beginners taking part in this course.

What's special about this stage is that players start to realise that you have to think for yourself when it comes to poker.
The further you advance, the more complex the game will be. Sample charts and standard playing styles have to be reconsidered and any situation has to be evaluated on its own.

What's the difference to the preceding stage?
In the preceding stage players are only focused on their own hand and on what they themselves are doing at the table.
In the second stage we start to think about which hands our opponent could be holding. Furthermore, we try to find out the reasoning behind their moves and how to best exploit and use against them.

Why is this stage important?
If you don't start thinking about the reasoning behind your opponent's moves and with which hands he conducts them, your development as a poker player will stagnate.
From NL10 onwards there will be more and more players at the table that will try to think in ranges and try to outplay us. We always have to be one step ahead of these players.

Further links for stage 2:
There is a lot of additional information on the relevant topics of this stage. You can find everything you'll need in the strategy section of PokerStrategy.com.

What's special about this stage?
The main factor of successfully playing poker is the analysis and exploitation of weaknesses in your opponent's game. Analysing your opponent's style of play is called hand reading. Using information that you're gaining from it against your opponent is called exploiting.

What's special about this stage is that we're increasing our focus on winning money from solid players at our table as well as just recreational players.
In the end, everyone makes mistakes and it's up to us to notice and exploit them!

What's the difference to the preceding stage?
Players in stage 3 should already be familiar with stats displayed by tracking tools like PokerTracker 4 or Hold'em Manager 2 and know how to use them, meaning we have specific information on our opponents that we can use against them.
We don't just think about which hands our opponent could be holding in a given spot, we also start trying to categorise our opponent from a general point of view:
• Which kind of player is our opponent?
• How does he play against different types of players?
• How does he play against me specifically?

Another decisive aspect of this stage are notes that we take on our opponents.
Of course, taking notes on special moves you've seen from your opponents should be done as early as possible (even on NL2 already). However, only from stage 3 onwards are players usually able to use these notes to their advantage.

Why is this stage important?
Certain moves or general playing styles of opponents can be easily exploited, thereby enabling you to auto-profit.
Auto-profit is an exploit with which you can take advantage of a too high folding frequency.

Example:
Your opponent folds 80% against 3-bets.
When 3-betting to three times the initial raise size, you'll only need 66% fold equity in order to make this a profitable move. So if your opponent folds 80% against 3-bets, you can bluff 3-bet against him with any hand and it would still be a profitable play every single time.

Further links for stage 3:
Again, some links to relevant articles for this stage.

What's special about this stage?
The next step in the evolution of a poker player is planning your entire range in any given situation.

What's special about this stage is that you're trying to consider and incorporate all the other previous stages, thereby enabling you to already know by the flop what you're going to do against different types of opponents.

What's the difference to the preceding stage?
In the previous stages, we've focused on very particular aspects of our own game or the game of our opponent.
Stage 4 is characterised by trying to create increasingly fluid crossovers in your own train of thought. It's the stage at which level thinking begins, for instance "I'm assuming my opponent thinks this and that, therefore I will do the following."

Why is this stage important?
Planning your own game helps you to notice more frequency-based leaks in your opponent's game, enabling you to shape your ranges in a way that you'll always end up with the right range in the right situation.

When playing against proficient players, you shouldn't just focus on exploiting their mistakes anymore. You should also try to remove any mistakes in your own game, thereby preventing your opponent from exploiting them.

Further links for stage 4:
PokerStrategy.com also offers a lot of great articles on relevant topics regarding stage 4. Make sure you've read and studied all of them when reaching this stage in your career.

This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by LemOn36: 16.11.2015 11:48.

Hey guys, Tonight 20:00 CET (GMT+1) We will review the adjustments you can be making pre-flop to steer your poker Enterprise to new directions, and then blast our opponents with the new strategy at 4 regular microstakes 6max tables. See you tonight!

P.S. phasers set to crush!

Lesson 1: Adjustments to the beginner strategy - Pre-flop.
In this lesson we will show how a beginner can improve his preflop game and develop an advanced preflop strategy
This lesson refers to The No Limit Starter Course Lesson1 - Preflop

What you should take into account regarding an advanced beginner strategy
The more advanced the strategy, the more difficult it is to specify it through predetermined ranges, sample charts and standardised playing styles.

Every player has to judge for himself when and how to play and take responsibility for determining whether his playing style will be most profitable in the long run or not.

Therefore, this article won't present any more sample charts or ranges. Instead you will be shown how to start thinking about spots and how to further improve your game on your own.

How you can optimise your game pre-flopGeneral note:
Observe your table, pay attention to players who are still to act after it's been your turn and write down notes on things that you've noticed.

Examples for possible observationsYour raises are often answered with a 3-bet:
If you realise that your opponents frequently 3-bet your raises, meaning raising again, then you should consider which hands are appropriate to continue with against these 3-bets.

Does it still make sense to raise with smaller pairs when you have to give them up against a 3-bet anyway? Should you rather just raise hands like AQ with which you could continue playing against a 3-bet for top pair value?

Your raises are frequently called by a lot of players
If you're constantly up against 3 or 4 callers on the flop although you've raised first-in to 3-4 big blinds, then you should consider increasing your raise size for stronger hands to 4-5 big blinds.

Players who constantly just call raises are often recreational players not following any particular strategy. Most of the time you will still have a better hand when playing against them, even when increasing your raise size.

MP2 adaption

The first position at a short-handed table can be played very differently, either tight or very loose. The reason is that there are 5 more players still to act behind you and the dynamic at a short-handed table can vary much more in comparison to a full-ring table.

What can I change?
As said before, you should definitely try to adapt to the players behind you and the dynamic at the table. A good initial approach is to differentiate between tight and loose tables in general.

Example: When raising from MP2 you often only get the blinds or a single caller.

This would be a good table for playing more hands. Depending on how comfortable you feel, increasing your range to hands like ATs/ATo/KJs/KTs/QJs is recommendable.

MP3, CO adaption

In this case, we're combining two positions. When you're first-in in the CO, you're always in a typical steal spot. That's not the case for MP3.

Therefore, it definitely makes sense to try stealing and raising more hands in the CO than in MP3, given that the BU is not really an active player.

What can I change?
When in the CO, you should try to extend the sample chart logically, thereby attempting more steals.

If other players limped before it was your turn, you don't really want to raise hands like 67s from the CO. However, if everyone folded, that hand is almost always strong enough to steal with.

The same goes for A9o. When allowed to raise ATo even when there limpers are in the pot, it's just logical that you can also try and steal with A9o in the CO, given that everyone before you has folded.

Again it is important to take into account the current dynamic at your table. If you know that the players behind you are playing loose and like to 3-bet, it is definitely not forbidden to play tighter than suggested in MP3.

BU, SB adaption

Especially on NL2 to NL5 these are the positions where the chart is really close to the optimum. However, even in this case you shouldn't forget that different types of opponents require different ranges.

Without any particular information or observation on the players behind you, there's no reason to deviate from the chart.

Playing looser than suggested by the chart in BU/SB is almost never recommendable since the chart itself is already based on a loose approach. Of course, you wouldn't want to play T7o against very loose opponents in the blinds.

What can I change?
Pay attention and adapt!

If your opponents frequently react with a fold, then simply continue stealing. If the SB/BB is playing very loose, either by cold-calling or 3-betting a lot, you should stop stealing and just fold with T7o/J7o/Q7o and similar hands.

If you realise that the BB has re-stolen more than 4 times against you, meaning 3-betting your steal raise, then even KQ is certainly strong enough in order to call his re-steal and play a possible top pair in that 3-bet pot like a monster.

However, always keep in mind that you shouldn't make adjustments like that whenever you are unsure about an opponent.

Hand discussions are the perfect way to check whether you've played and adapted correctly against certain opponents or not.

BB adaption

In this case, it's important that you don't start weird re-stealing moves, meaning to 3-bet your opponents' steals with any possible hand.

Re-stealing as a bluff usually just make sense when you're playing with stats from software tools like Hold'em Manager 2 or PokerTracker 4. Since beginners shouldn't use these tools though, we are playing without stats and consequently without bluff re-steals.

What can I change?
You should always feel comfortable at your table.

If you're not comfortable with raising KTo against two limpers in MP2/MP3, that's definitely understandable. In such a case, don't raise and instead simply check when in the BB. Obviously, it's much easier to play against one opponent. So if you're more comfortable with raising KTo against a single limper, simply do so.

Against players who frequently steal and attack the blinds when in CO/BU/SB, you should consider also including hands like KQ/AJ/ATs in your calling range, playing these hands just like AQ.

Remarks regarding CO/BU
Whenever you are in the last two positions in which you can play hands in position, it makes sense to start with so-called "top pair value calls" and "multi-way suited connector calls".

Multi-way suited connector callsWhat does it mean?
Multi-way means that you're up against more than one opponent. Typical suited connectors are hands from 45s to QJs (for example 7
8
).

If you are holding such a suited connector in CO or BU, you can start calling in order to hit a post-flop monster whenever there was a raise not bigger than 4BB in front of you and at least one more player calling this raise as well.

This way you will be up against at least two opponents on the flop, increasing the probability to get paid off in case you are able to hit your monster.

With which hands can I do that?
Any suited connector from 45s to QJs

What do I have to take into account?
• Don't make this move in MP2 or MP3!
• Only do it with the presented suited connectors!
• Only call when the raise is not bigger than 4BB!
• Only call when at least one more player has called that raise as well!
• Only call when both opponents have at least 50BB in their stacks!

How do I continue with such a hand post-flop?
When it comes to playing suited connectors post-flop, simply stick to "Step 2.2: You've only called before the flop" in Lesson 2 of the No Limit Starter Course

Special rule for suited ace-high hands
With suited ace-high hands like A
2
you can basically play the same way as with suited connectors but you should only call with them when in the BU and when there is one raiser and two(!) more callers in front of you since the playability of these hands is a bit worse.

Top pair value callsWhat does it mean?
According to our sample chart, if you're holding a strong hand like AQ, you should fold it in CO or BU whenever there was a raise in front of you. However, most of the time you almost always have a better hand than the raiser.

If you now start calling instead of folding with hands like AQ, you're gaining the advantage that your opponent will almost always continuation bet a favourable flop for you (A
T
2
), even as a bluff.

On the other hand, he will often play check/fold on unfavourable flops like 3
6
T
, again leading to you to profit from it.

With which hands can I do that?
The more hands your opponent raises, the more hands you can call with for top pair value.

Usually, it should, however, be limited to hands like AQ/AJ/KQ since weaker hands lack the advantage in strength against the opponent's range.

What do I have to take into account?
Opponents that raise from MP2 have less hands in their range and tend to play tighter and more careful than players raising from MP3 or CO.

Therefore, it is recommended for beginners to only call with AQ against raisers in MP2 as long as you can't be sure that the player in MP2 has a looser raising range which enables you to call with AJ/KQ or even weaker hands on top value.

How do I continue with these hands post-flop?
When it comes to playing suited connectors post-flop, simply stick to "Step 2.2: You've only called before the flop" in Lesson 2 of the No Limit Starter Course

This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by LemOn36: 20.11.2015 23:44.

Originally posted by Ditechnic
LemOn36 how did you set automatic notes (*PRE*; *3BET*; *POST*) in the NoteTracker?

Hey, they are actually not automatic.
What I did is put them as a note on myself, and when I make a read on other players, I simply open note on me, copy paste into theirs
I used to use notepad before, but found this more convenient and it allows me to format e.g. bold fond into it

You will learn ...
• ... what to take into account regarding an advanced beginner strategy.
• ... how to optimise your post-flop play:
- What do you have to take into account regarding hand strength categories?
- How do I optimise my post-flop play after raising pre-flop?
- Tips regarding bet sizes
- Advanced adaption to donk bets
- How do I optimise my post-flop play after just calling pre-flop?
• Tips regarding bankroll management

What to take into account regarding an advanced beginner strategy
The more advanced the strategy, the more difficult it is to specify it through predetermined ranges, sample charts and standardised playing styles.

Every player has to judge for himself when and how to play, and take responsibility for determining whether his playing style will be the most profitable option in the long run or not.

Therefore, this article won't present any more sample charts or ranges. Instead you will be shown how to start thinking about spots and how to further improve your game on your own.

How to optimise your post-flop play
Any recommendations for optimisation always depend on the respective spot you're currently in.

If you are unsure whether deviating from the beginner strategy presented in lesson 2 makes sense or not, then simply don't adjust your strategy and continue playing according to lesson 2. Afterwards you can post the hand you were unsure about in the working thread of the beginners' course.

What to take into account regarding hand strengths
Of course, there are nuances in each of the four categories (made hands, monsters, strong draws, trash).

For example, a top pair with a T is not as strong as an over pair with AA, or a trash hand not consisting of over cards is significantly weaker than, for instance, holding two over cards like AK.

These nuances lead to different playing styles making more sense in specific spots.

How to optimise your play after raising pre-flop
Because of the mentioned nuances regarding hand strengths it is not possible to cover any possible situation within a single article. Therefore, we will present one example for a feasible deviation in playing style for each category.

Made hands:
Especially when up against only one opponent, it can make sense to deviate from the standard playing style with made hands by not continuation betting on the flop. However, this should only be done when ...
• ... there are no draws on the board that the opponent could have in his range (betting against those is the better play).
• ... you are really only up against one opponent on the flop.
• ... your opponent could only hold a few or no weaker top pairs at all.
• ... your opponent could only hold a few or no mid pairs at all.

Suitable spot:

Unsuitable spot:

If you decided to check in a suitable spot, you should call bets of at most two-thirds of the pot by your opponent on later streets (turn/river), or simply bet yourself.

Monsters:
If you're holding a monster, you should think about which other monster hands are possible and which of these monsters your opponent could be holding.

Sometimes it can make sense to fold a strong hand against a lot of resistance when it's possible that someone hit a better monster on the board.

Strong draws:
If you're holding a draw, it is important to understand that betting a strong draw like an OESD or flush draw only makes sense when you also assume that your opponents are still able to fold.

If you're assuming that an opponent will always call anyway, it is better to play your draw passively according to odds and outs.

Hence, when you're up against more than two opponents on the flop, you can basically always assume that semi-bluffing your draw doesn't make sense, unless you're holding a monster draw with 15 outs. The same pattern should be followed when you're up against more than one opponent on the turn.

Trash:
Usually, these hands still won't have enough value to justify a move and should therefore be played as usual.

Tips regarding bet sizes
Since opponents on lower limits won't pay attention to the size of your bets for different hand strengths, it is recommendable to link your bet sizes to hand strengths on NL2 to NL5 in order to play optimally in each spot.

Bluff continuation bet = 1/2 pot size (the opponent only has to fold 33% of his hands to make it a profitable bet)
Made hand = 2/3 pot size (optimal size to ensure the opponents call with a sufficient amount of weaker hands)
Monster = 3/4 pot size (making sure the pot gets as big as possible since you're willing to go all-in anyway)

Apart from the bluff continuation bet that should ALWAYS amount to 1/2 pot size on lower limits, the bet sizes for made hands and monsters only serve as a reference point. In some spots it could make sense to choose a smaller or bigger bet size.

For instance, if you're holding a made hand and a lot of draws are possible that could still call, it definitely makes sense to choose a bigger bet size of 3/4 pot size:

If you're holding a monster on a board on which weaker hands don't really have a lot of options to call, then it could also make sense to just bet 1/2 pot size:

Conclusion:
Always try to adapt your playing style against recreational players on lower limits to the board when you're holding a made hand or monster.

However, adjusting to the board doesn't make sense when it comes to bluff bets since your opponents will usually tend to call with their draws regardless of the chosen bet size. Therefore, it doesn't matter if you're betting 1/2, 2/3 or 3/4 pot size in these spots.

Adaption to donk bets
The special rule for spots in which "the opponent bets first (donk)" (See No Limit Starter Course: Lesson2) still applies and offers only little room for adjustments. According to that rule, you should fold your hand when you're holding a good made hand but the opponent donk bets 2/3 pot size.

However, when switching to a more advanced playing style, you should rather try to assess the strength of your opponent's donk range and conclude whether you're still ahead often enough with your made hand. If you can still see yourself being ahead you should rather call his donk bet instead of folding right away, especially since you are in position.

In cases like this, it is important to pay attention to the size of the donk bet: If the opponent donks the pot or chooses an even higher bet size, you should simply fold your made hands and only continue with monsters. If he bets 2/3 of the pot or less, you can at call at least once with a made hand.

On the turn and river you'll simply have to make the same assessment as before. If you still see yourself ahead from time to time, you can continue calling or bet yourself when the opponent suddenly decides to check. If you assume that you're beaten, simply play check/fold instead.

How to optimise your post-flop play after just calling pre-flop
The same approach as before applies. You should try to assess which range your opponent could be holding and how you're holding up against that range with your hand. Subsequently, most decisions become self-explanatory.

Made hands:
When you're holding a made hand in a pot where you've just called pre-flop, you can usually stick to the recommendations (see lesson 2) since those represent the right play in the majority of the cases.

Deviating from that strategy can make sense when you are, for instance, holding a made hands against several opponents on a flop with a lot of draws and you don't want to risk everyone checking behind after you've decided to do so out of position.

For instance, you could take the initiative in the following spot and directly bet 2/3 pot size when you're up against more than one opponent on the flop:

Monsters:
Simply continue playing these hands aggressively by betting them right away when you're up against several opponents or when a lot of draws are possible on the flop.

If you're only up against one opponent or when the flop is particularly dry, you can also consider just playing check/call from time to time to give your opponent the opportunity to bluff again on the turn:

Trash:
Trash hands are still nothing that can be played in a reasonable manner, therefore simply check/fold them as usual.

Tips regarding bankroll management
From NL10 onwards we recommend that you always have at least 30 stacks for the current limit in your bankroll. Furthermore, you should move down a limit as soon as you only have 30 stacks left for that limit.

However, in general, the most important aspect is that you should always feel comfortable with your own bankroll management. So if you prefer to play with at least 40 stacks or even 50 stacks or more, simply do so and ensure that you're playing without pressure and with a clear mind, even when losing a stack unluckily from time to time.

2.How much money, on average, would you say you make a year playing poker?

3.Can you describe a reality of being a professional poker player that you think other people not be aware of?

4.Don't you find it boring? Playing the same trivial game so much?

5.Play has been aggressive so far in your online six-max game. You have AcAs. It’s folded to you on the button and you make it $0.10. Small blind folds and big blind raises to $0.30. You flat-call and the flop comes T♠ 3♠ 8♠. Big blind bets $0.50.
What should you do?

6.What percent of your success would you say is attributable to randomness?

7.How many times have you gone completely broke over the course of your poker career?

8.Do you gamble much on non-skill games or games that have a house edge?

9.How do math and psychology cross in poker? For example, if the book says a certain hand is a loser 60 percent of the time, how would this change if you know your opponent likes to raise with weak hands at this point, and if you suspect he is bluffing?

10.What percentage of professional poker players would you consider to be compulsive gamblers?

11.If you could sit down and play a game of poker with any five people in the world (living or deceased), who would you pick?

12.Why do so many highly-intelligent people with advanced degrees decide to play poker?

13.Do you enjoy playing poker any more or less than when you first started out?